August 20, 2010

Most of us know Plan B, the emergency contraceptive that a woman can take up to 72 hours after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. Later this year, we will have a plan C — ella, an emergency contraceptive that can be taken up to five days after unprotected sex.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, the drug manufacturer, announced the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of ella on Friday.

Women receiving this emergency contraceptive will need a prescription for the pill. Plan B, on the other hand, is available over the counter.

Naturally, this announcement has given rise to much controversy from anti-abortion groups, who believe life begins at conception (the moment an egg is fertilized) and that emergency contraceptives are tantamount to abortion. That’s a matter of some debate. Catherine Morgan, writing on the topic for BlogHer, writes:

It’s a misnomer that fertilization will have always taken place before the woman uses the medication [...] These emergency contraceptives are blocking the sperm from fertilizing the egg in the first place, just like other methods of birth control [...] In addition, even when women are trying to become pregnant, it is believed that up to 50% of fertilized eggs never make it to the implantation stage, and of the ones that do, about 30% will still be lost.

A commenter on the post brought up the possibility that emergency contraceptive may prevent a fertilize egg from becoming implanted — which is tantamount to abortion in the eyes of some anti-abortion activists. The conversation that resulted, which rarely occurs in a civilized manner, seemed to reach a conclusion on this topic, which we see fit to highlight. From Elisa Camahort:

For people who believe that a fertilized egg equals life, whether or not it implants, this pill can indeed end the existence of that fertilized egg. And shouldn’t those women know that?

So, what’s the harm in that disclaimer? The vast majority of people who would take such a pill won’t care, but perhaps some folks walk that fine line where the birth control pill is fine, but this pill crosses their personal line. All incendiary language could be avoided, and if true, it could simply say that the pill may prevent a fertilized egg from implanting. If that’s true, why not divulge it and let the woman decide how comfortable she is with it?

I’m 100% pro-choice, and I’m not sure I see a problem with making it 100% clear for people who are less black and white than me.

Her example of one such disclosure is simple:

ella is thought to work for emergency contraception primarily by stopping or delaying the release of an egg from the ovary. It is possible that ella may also work by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus.

Naturally, such a disclaimer opens ella up to more controversy. Clearly it is easier to release contraceptive with the argument that it prevents fertilization, not implantation, but if the possibility of preventing implantation exists, it should be noted so women may choose.

We here at Sex and the 405 emphasize the last four words of the above paragraph: “so women may choose.”

We're your creatures, putting to words things to inform you, amuse you, educate you and move you. Be nice to us, we already have a cruel mistress in our editrix. We say that with love, of course, we do love her whip.

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That Steam allows the objectification and sexualization of female characters in a variety of its games but refuses to accept a game about actually engaging with women in a more interactive fashion is astonishingly backward.

That the site doesn’t take measures to protect user content and has shown incompetence or negligence in regard to user privacy, all the while prohibiting victims from warning others about predatory behavior creates an environment where it is nearly impossible for members of the community to take care of themselves and one another. By enabling FetLife to continue espousing a code of silence, allowing the spinning self-created security issues as “attacks,” and not pointing out how disingenuous FetLife statements about safety are, we are allowing our community to become a breeding ground for exploitation.

Should people who benefit (parents, siblings, children, roommates!) from the earnings of “commercial sex acts” (any sexual conduct connected to the giving or receiving of something of value) be charged with human trafficking? Should someone who creates obscene material that is deemed “deviant” be charged as with human trafficking? Should someone who profits from obscene materials be charged with human trafficking? Should people transporting obscene materials be charged with human trafficking? Should a person who engages in sex with someone claiming to be above the age of consent or furnishing a fake ID to this effect be charged with human trafficking? What if I told you the sentences for that kind of conviction were eight, 14 or 20 years in prison, a fine not to exceed $500,000, and life as a registered sex offender?

If you are a woman, you might be given a chance to prove yourself in this community. Since there is no standard definition of what a “geek” is and it will vary from one judge to the next anyway, chances of failing are high (cake and grief counseling will be available after the conclusion of the test!). If you somehow manage to succeed, you’ll be tested again and again by anyone who encounters you until you manage to establish yourself like, say, Felicia Day. But even then, you’ll be questioned. As a woman, your whole existence within the geek community will be nothing but a series of tests — if you’re lucky. If you aren’t lucky, you’ll be harassed and threatened and those within the culture will tacitly agree that you deserve it.

Zak’s original field, it turns out, is economics, a far cry from the hearts and teddy bears we imagine when we consider his nickname. But after performing experiments on generosity, Zak stumbled on the importance of trust in interactions, which led him, rather inevitably, to research about oxytocin. Oxytocin, you might remember, is a hormone that has been linked previously to bonding — between mothers and children primarily, but also between partners. What Zak has done is take the research a step further, arguing in his recent book, The Moral Molecule, that oxytocin plays a role in determining whether we are good or evil.

Let’s talk about the strippers. Whether they like to be half-naked or not, whether they enjoy turning you on or not, there’s one thing they all have in common: they’re working. Whether you think that taking one’s clothes off for money is a great choice of career is really beside the point (is it a possibility for you to make $500 per hour at your job without a law degree? Just asking). These women are providing fantasy, yes, but that is their job. And as a patron of the establishment where they work, you need to treat them like you would anyone else who provides a service to you.

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Sex and the 405 is what your newspaper would look like if it had a sex section.

Here you’ll find news about the latest research being conducted to figure out what drives desire, passion, and other sex habits; reviews of sex toys, porn and other sexy things; coverage of the latest sex-related news that have our mainstream media's panties up in a bunch; human interest pieces about sex and desire; interviews with people who love sex, or hate sex, or work in sex, or work to enable you to have better sex; opinion pieces that relate to sex and society; and the sex-related side of celebrity gossip. More...